How can lead poisoning be prevented?
Since treatment options for lead poisoning are limited, it's best to prevent lead poisoning before it has a chance to occur. Lead poisoning is preventable with the following proper steps:
Nutrition: Foods high in Iron, Vitamin C, and calcium decrease lead absorption. Encourage
intake of daily multiple vitamins. Serve children foods with a high content of iron
(such as eggs, cooked beans, or red meats), calcium (such as cheese, yogurt, or cooked
greens) and vitamin C (such as citrus fruits, green peppers, or tomatoes). Adequate
intake of these nutrients minimizes lead absorption in children's bodies.). Children
should eat regularly with frequent snacks due to more increased absorption on an empty
stomach.-
Personal Care: Promote frequent hand washing to prevent lead exposure. Wash your hands and your children's hands frequently. especially before eating and sleeping.
- Housekeeping: Teach and practice healthy home habits, such as hand-washing before
eating and sleeping, shoe removal, washing children's toys or other chewable surfaces,
purchasing "lead-free" mini-blinds, and wet mopping and drying floors and surfaces.
Hire a certified professional to safely remove lead sources from a home. Make sure
children and pregnant women do not stay inside a home when renovations are underway.
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If living in an older residential home where lead paint is present, cleaning techniques can reduce the risk of exposure (OOH, 2010).
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Dusting with a damp cloth or mopping with a wet mop can prevent dust from becoming airborne, as can vacuuming with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter and avoiding manual floor sweeping.
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Cleaning weekly with detergent can also reduce lead exposure (OOH, 2010).
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If a parent or family member works with lead materials, wash his or her clothing separately from other family members' clothes.
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Allow children to play in safe play areas by placing a clean blanket on the floor of the home, and monitoring outdoor play so children are not playing in or on bare soil (OOH, 2010).
For more information about lead poisoning, visit EPA's Web site at www.epa.gov/lead or call The National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).